One approach to increasing fuel efficiency in modern vehicles, such as aircraft, is through improvement in aerodynamic performance. As one example, microstructures may be formed on fluid flow surfaces to reduce drag on the surface of the vehicle. Such microstructures may be used on areas where turbulent regions may be present to limit circulation causing a breakup of vortices in the turbulent regions near the fluid flow surface to reduce drag.
One current method of preparing a fluid flow surface to reduce drag is to apply a film having formed microstructures to one or more surfaces of the vehicle. However, such films may add considerable processing time to apply and/or remove, add unwanted additional weight, and are not cost effective. Further, such films may lack sufficient durability for extended use. For example, environmental effects and/or interaction with various chemicals, such as fuel, hydraulic fluid, etc., can degrade the microstructures, which may require replacement of the film.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development efforts in the field of preparing fluid flow surfaces to enhance fluid flow performance.